SERMON XII. EPHESIANS, Ch. iv. V. 14. "THAT HENCEFORTH, WE BE NO MORE CHILDREN, TOSSED TO AND FRO, AND CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF THE prefent world, being designed for a ftate of probation, is fo conftituted as to furnish a continual fucceffion of events, adapted to exercife the affections, and to give scope to the powers of the understanding. In the conduct and regulation of this important faculty, (the most excellent of God's gifts to man, the tenure by which he holds his fovereignty over the rest of the creation, creation, and by which he is rendered сараble of virtue, and of the rewards annexed to it,) no inconfiderable part of his trial confifts: to fearch patiently for truth, to weigh the pretenfions of discordant opinions, and to determine with impartiality as the fcale preponderates, is the duty of every one in proportion to his capacity and opportunities of knowledge: but these are fo different in different perfons, and even in the fame perfon at different periods, that it would betray a very fuperficial acquaintance with human nature to affert, either that all men must fee things in exactly the fame light, and draw the fame conclufions from them, or that any individual will always neceffarily remain in his prefent fentiments. It is fufficient that in every given conjuncture, he does what confcience dictates, after a fair and full confideration of the cafe, determining this only, with respect to futurity; that, with God's help, he will then alfo alfo decide and act as shall appear to be just and right. That peremptory tone, in which fo many profefs to have made up their minds on the most complex and difficult subjects, proceeds from a mixture of pride and indolence: pride disdains instruction, and revolts from the notion of being kept in the trammels of perpetual childhood; while indolence would fain confider its task as done, and fhrinks from the fatigue of new refearches, and repeated examination: yet, in proportion as men form a jufter estimate of their condition here, they will feel themfelves more reconciled to the humiliation of perfevering labour, and pregreffive knowledge. THERE is no affinity between that ingenuous diffidence which keeps the mind always open to conviction, and the wavering state of irrefolution which it was the Apostle's intention to condemn. Sincere and and fober inquirers after truth are aware that they are liable to be biaffed by the fuggestions of intereft and prejudice, or to be misled by fophiftry and false representations; that their views of things are neither clear nor extenfive; that many circumftances, effential to a right judgement, may, for the prefent at least, lie beyond their fphere of obfervation, or be overlooked, though they lie within it. If the subject of their inquiry admits of demonftration, they are careful to acquaint themfelves with the whole of the proof; for even demonstrable truths, may be fo plaufibly controverted, as to perplex and ftagger those who have merely taken them on truft. If it is only capable of probable evidence, (a distinction referable to the fallibility of the human understanding, and not to the nature of truth; which, under whatever denomination, is in itself alike abfolute and one;) probability implies, in the very notion of it, that there are are prefumptions on the oppofite fide. They advance therefore with cautious steps; and if, notwithstanding their care, their judgement is unfortunately mifled, no falfe fhame induces them to perfevere; for next to avoiding errror, their object is to discover and correct it: yet they do not refign opinions adopted after mature reflection, and on the fulleft information they were able to obtain, without a fcrupulous examination of what is alleged against them, and of what is propofed to be fubftituted in their place. On the other hand, the turn of mind that caufes men to be feduced by every fpecious argument, caufes them to be equally startled by every fpecious objection. OPINIONS haftily and confidently taken up, and for a time maintained with the greateft pofitivenefs, are often in the end relinquished with as little reafon as they were embraced. Thofe which fucceed to them |